I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)

"What's one life compared to such a triumph?" - Dr. Brandon

An experiment transforms a young man into an angry beast.
Starring: Michael Landon, Whit Bissell, Yvonne Lime, Charles Willcox

Link to IMDB

Tony is a lot more troubled than the average teenager, because he has an explosive temper which leads him to getting into fist fights with his peers. The police have even been keeping an eye on him for his own safety, but Tony rejects all their advice to go see Dr. Brandon, a psychologist who specializes in troubled kids.

While at a party with his friends, Tony snaps and knocks out his buddy and scares his girlfriend, and at this point he realizes that he truly does need help to control his rage. Dr. Brandon seems like a smart man that will help Tony with hypnosis and therapy, but he's secretly going to conduct a nefarious experiment on the young man that will awaken his beastly primal instincts! Dr. Brandon wants to restart human evolution or some nonsense, because he's disappointed with modern society.
He's a mad man, but hey, science is fun!


Despite the corrupt brainwashing and drugs that Tony's receiving from Brandon, he actually begins improving at school but he's also having blackouts and he begins to suspect that something's wrong.
When a man is ripped to shreds in the forest one night, the plot heads where we all knew it was going. Tony now becomes a werewolf creature when he gets emotional, and the entire police force is out to stop this confused, wild teenager!!

Dr. Brandon is a creeper

Old movies like this can be a drag sometimes, but this one has aged quite well for the most part. Despite the "jive talk" and stiff acting, it doesn't feel too campy and it has a solid story. The biggest problem is that the movie doesn't know what to do with its monster, so a lot of the enthusiasm fizzles out.

This movie was a big hit when it was released and it's easy to see why it was so popular; even the make-up effects look cool enough to remain memorable today. Focusing more on teenage angst than horror, there are no scares here but it remains a highlight of the drive-in era. I just wouldn't go so far as to call it a classic.

Be sure not to miss:
- That wheelbarrow was an innocent bystander!
- It took me a while to realize that one girl is dressed as a clown. I thought it was just wacky 50's fashion.
- There's always gotta be an idiot with bongo drums at the party.

Internet review:
"This one moves along quite well and is still watchable by today's standards." - bux

Should I watch it?
Fans of the genre will enjoy it.

Where can I find it?
Here on YouTube.

Teenage Werewolf gets...